Printing-plate holding means



March 13, 1928.

C. M. BREMNER PRINTING PLATE HOLDING MEANS Filed April 17. 1926 m \QQ I u% NN Q I I I 1| I 5 I g Y I I I 5 I I Q I I I S Patented Mar. 13, 1928.

UNITED STATES CHARLES M. BREMNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PRINTING-PLATE HOLDING MEANS.

Application filed April 17, 1926.

The present invention pertains generally to printing plate holding means, and has particular reference to an improved construction of holding means for mounting a printing plate on the printing cylinder of a press.

The present construction of plate holding means has been devised primarily for mounting fudge or jigger plates on a printing cylinder. As is well known to those acquainted with newspaper printing, it is very desirable that the fudge plates be'capable ofquick mounting and substitution in the press in order that the operation of the press will not be interrupted over too long intervals. These fudge plates usually print the baseball scores by innings, race results and late news events and frequently they are substituted many times during the run of a single edition of the paper. Every time one of these fudge plates is substituted the press must be shut down, and if it requires any considerable time interval to substitute fudge plates the capacity of the press is reduced materially.

Accordingly, it has been one of my principal aims in developing the present plate holding means to provide a construction by which the substitution of fudge plates can be made almost instantaneously. In this improved construction, I have dispensed with all the screw-operated clamps andother like parts involving slow operation. The fudge plate can be removed from the present holding means by a simple sliding motion and the new fudge plate inserted by a similar sliding motion. The use of wrenches or other tools is dispensed with in effecting this substitution. Hence the interchange of fudge plates in my improved holding means only requires shutting down the press for a few seconds.

One of the features by which this facility of substitution is made possible is the fact that with the present holding means the rotation of the printing cylinder operates to lock thefudge plate in the holding means.

This improved holding means also speeds up operations between the casting box and the press by eliminating the necessity of shaving the fudge plates before they are mounted.

While I have developed the present con Serial No. 102,635.

a wider field of utility for mounting other types of printing plates.

Referring to the accompanying drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention: I

Figure 1 is an end elevational view of a printing cylinder, showing one of my improved plate holding devices mounted thereon; i

Figure 2 is a plan view of this plate holding device;

Figure 3 is a view showing the plate holding means in transverse section, and Figure 1 is an elevational view showing the trailing end of the plate holdingmeans.

A typical printin cylinder on which these fudge plates are mounted is indicated at 8. This cylinder has the usual journal ends mounted in bearings in the press.

The present plate holding means comprises an arcuate mounting plate 9 which embraces a portion of the circumference of the printing cylinder 8. This 'mounting plate 9 preferably subtends or embraces only approximately one-third of the circumference of the printing cylinder, thisfacilitating the removal and substitution of the fudge plates. In representingthe preferred construction,

I have shown the mounting plate 9 in the v form of an independent unit separate from the printing cylinder 8 and removable therefrom, but itwill be understood that this mounting plate might be constructed as a segment formed integral with the printing cylinder.

Vhere this segmental mounting plate 9 is constructed separate as'shown, the lateral edges thereof are formed with beveled flanges 11 and 12. One flange 11 is adapted to engage under the beveled overhanging flange 13, formed on a ring 14L encircling the printing cylinder. The other flanged edge 12 is adapted to be engaged by a retaining ring 16 which has a beveled overhanging flange 15 for clampingover the flanged edge 12 of the mounting plate. This retaining ring 16 is internally threaded for screwing over a thread 17 on the printing cylinder, this re taining ring having annnular spaced keys or lugs 18 around its periphery which can be grasped by a spanner wrench in tightening the ring into clamping engagement against the mounting plate. By virtue of this clamped engagement of the mounting plate 9 between the stationary flange 13 and the releasable flange 15,.this mounting plate can be shifted to different positions about the printing cylinder to secure the proper location of the impression on the run of the web.

The mounting plate comprises a raised central portion 9, the outer surface of which constitutes the arcuate seating surface 20 on which the fudge plate it) is mounted. This fudge plate is cast; in arcuate form of a length substantially equal to the mounting plate 9. its lateral edges are beveled as indicated at. 21 and 22 and its under side may be formed with a plurality of spaced ribs In my copending application, Serial No. 102,634. filed April it". 1926, I hare shown an improved construction of casting box for casting fudge plates of this type.

The lateral edges of the fudge plate are held between two retaining members ill and 25 baring beveled shoulders 26 and 27 engaging over the beveled edges 21 and 22 of the fudge plate. These two retaining members 21 and are disposed at the sides of the raised portion 9 of the mounting plate and one or both of these retaining members spring-urged into resilent locking engagement with the beveled sides of the fudge plate. For uniformit of setting of the fudge plate I preferably mount one of these retaining members fixedly on the mounting plate and arrange the opposite retaining member for spring-pressed motion. This fixed retaining member might be constructed as an integral portion of the mounting plate 9, but in the preferred arrangemei'lt shown i have illustrated both of these retaining shoulders as being remorably secured to the mounting plate by screws 2% and 29. The heads of the screws 28 which secure the statlionar retaining member 2% engage in counter-bores in this retaining member, the shanks of these screws threading into tapped holes in the raised plate portion 9'. The shanks of the screws 29 pass through counterbores 31 in the springprcssed retaining member 25, in which eounterbores are confined compression sprii'igs 32. These compression springs hear at; their inner ends against the inner ends of the counterbores, and at their outer ends against the heads of the screws 29, the connterbores 31 receiving these screw heads. The threaded ends of these screws 2.) tap into threaded holes in the raised plate portion 9. By threading the screws .29 in or out the pressure of the springs 32 can be adjusted to obtain any desired pressure of the retaining member 25 against the fudge plate. Both retaining members 24. and 25 have shoulders 34. which engage in undercut recesses 35 formed in the sides of the raised plate portion 9. These flanges and recesses form tjzooperating shoulders which hold the retaining members 2% and 25 against centrifugal force or any stresses tending to force the retaining members outwardly with respect; to the mounting plate.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the arcuate seating surface it) in cooperatitm with the retaining members :it and forms a curved mounting seat. for the fudge plate, the lateral edges of which mounting seat resiliently engage the beveled edges of the fudge plate. The fudge plate is adapted to be inserted in this mounting titb by lengthwise or circumferential. sliding motion. The springq iressed engagement. of the retaining member 2:"; with the edge of the fudge plate readily permits this cirrun'ifcn ential sliding motion of the fudge plate in inserting and removing fudge plates.

The dirta-tion of rotation of the printing cylinder is indicated by the arrow X in Figure 1. At the trailing end of the pre.--ent plate holding means a stop plate 38 is rigidly secured across the end of the mounting plate 9 to close one end of this curred mounting seat. This plate is rigidly secured to the arcuate mounting plate 9 by screws 39. The leading end of the plate holding means is left open, and it is through this end that the fudge plate is inserted with the cir nm' fereniial sliding motion referred to above. Th fudge plate is pushed around in the holding means until its rear edge engages the stop plate 38 at the trailing end. in the rotation of the printing cylinder in the direction indicated the printing impressions will tend to force the fudge plate litl li against the stop 38, lhereb securely holding the fudge plate in fixed position in the bolding means.

It will be evident that it is but the work of. a few seconds, after the press is stopped. to grasp the fudge plate and slide the same out of the holding means and insert a new fudge plate and slide it back into fixed position in the holding means. if desired, the fudge plates may be cast with beveled or sloping surfaces at that end which first enters the plate holding means. so as to facilitate the insertion of the fudge plate into the holding means.

Having thus described my ill\etltloli what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In printing plate holding means, the combination of a curved mounting plate having an arcuate. seating surface on its outer side, a first retaining member rigidly secured to one edge of said mounting plate by screws, a second retaining member disposed along the other edge of said mounting plate, screws passing through counter-bores in said second retaining member and threading into said mounting plate, compression springs disposed in said eounterbores and operative to press said second retaining member inwardly toward said first retaining member, both of said retaining members having beveled rut? ll i

shoulders adapted to overlie the beveled edges of the printing plate, shoulders on each of said retaining members, cooperating shoulders on said mounting plate adapted to overlie said latter shoulders to hold said retaining members against outward stresses, said printing plate being inserted between said retaining members at the leading end of said mounting plate by endwise sliding motion, and a stop plate disposed at the trailing end of said mounting plate and against which the type plate is held by the printing rotation of the cylinder.

2. In combination, a printing cylinder, an arcuate mounting plate on said cylinder, a locking ring on said cylinder having an overhanging flange engaging one edge of said mounting plate, a releasable locking ring having screw-threaded mounting on saidcylinder and adapted to exertclamping pressure against the other edge ofsaid mounting plate, the outer side of said mounting plate defining an arcuate seating surface for the printing plate, first arcuate retaining member, screw means rigidly securing said first retaining member to one side of said mounting plate, a second retaining member disposed at the other side of said mountin plate, screw means movably securing said second retaining member to said mounting plate, both of said retaining members having beveled overhanging flanges adapted to engage over the beveled lateral edges of the printing plate, spring means cooperating with said second retaining member for resiliently pressing said latter retaining member into engagement with the printing plate, said printing plate being inserted between said retaining members by endwise sliding motion from tne leading edge of said mounting plate, and stop means extending across the trailing edge of said mounting plate for holding the printing plate between said retaining members.

3. In combination, a printing roller provided with an arcuate printing plate support having a shoulder on its lateral ed e, a plate retaining member adapted to engage a plate,

and a shoulder on said member adapted to. co-act with the shoulder on the plate support to reinforce said member against outward strains.

4:. In'combination, a printing roller proroll at least one of which is resiliently mounted which consists in placing the plate on the circumference of the roll, slightly separating the retaining members and inserting said plate between said members by endwise circumferential sliding n'iovement.

6. The method of operatinga fudge plate which comprises circumt'erentially sliding the plate between retaining members, and holding it against an end retaining member by the rotation of the printing cylinder.

7. A rotating cylinder, an arcuate seating means extending part way around said cylinder for slidably supporting a fudge plate, retaining members secured to the sidesof the seating means, a resilientmounting for one of said retaining members whereby they may be laterally moved relative to each otherso that a fudge plate may be mounted on the cylinder without the useot tools or thumb nuts by slightly separating the retaining members and circulniterentially sliding the plate between them. i

8. In printing plate holding means, a printing cylinder, an arcnate seating means secured tosaid cylinder and adapted to slidably support a fudge plate, retaining members for engaging the edges of the fudge plate, one of said members being resiliently mounted to allow lateral movement, a stop at the trailing end of said seating means, said seating means extending part way around said cylinder whereby the fudge plate may be inserted between the laterally movable retaining members by circumferential sliding movement and may be held in placeby said retaining members and by the stop against which the plate is urged by the motion of the cylinder.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 8th day of April, 1926. I

CHARLES M. BREMNER. 

